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October 2025
This month's brainbuzz™ features new funding to advance multiple sclerosis treatment, a new study highlighting the effectiveness of integrated collaborative care for youth, and a CAMH-led education pilot project to prevent fetal alcohol spectrum disorder.
Aristotle Voineskos
Senior VP Research & Science; Joint VP, CAMH-UHN Partnership
New Funding Fuels Development of First Potentially Regenerative Treatment for Multiple Sclerosis
A Canadian-led international research team, spearheaded by Dr. Fang Liu at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) has received nearly $800,000 US ($1,137,868 CAD) in new funding to advance a promising therapy for multiple sclerosis (MS). Supported by Brain Canada, the National MS Society’s Fast Forward program, and Health Canada through the Canada Brain Research Fund, the project is developing a novel approach to treatment that may halt disease progression and repair nerve damage and restore function.
Around 2.8 million people worldwide live with MS, a condition in which the immune system attacks the protective sheath (myelin) around nerve fibers, disrupting communication between the brain and body. Symptoms such as fatigue, vision problems, and mobility challenges arise when myelin is lost. While current treatments can slow disease activity, none can fix existing damage.
This novel therapy offers a different promise. It targets a destructive process known as excitotoxicity, which harms nerve cells in MS. By blocking this process, without interfering with normal brain function, the treatment encourages the body to rebuild myelin and improve nerve recovery. In animal models of MS, the compound has already shown it can restore motor skills and repair myelin, even when applied after symptoms appeared.
The research team, led by principal investigator Dr. Fang Liu, Senior Scientist at CAMH and professor in department of Psychiatry, U of T, in collaboration Dr. Iain Greig, Reader in Medicinal Chemistry at the University of Aberdeen, is now entering the final stages of preclinical testing to prepare for future human clinical trials. If successful, this would mark Canada’s first regenerative treatment for MS, and potentially other neurodegenerative diseases, offering new hope for patients. CAMH and the University of Aberdeen have patent protected this research and are actively seeking industry partners and investors to further advance this work towards clinical trials.
“The potential of this therapy is enormous, not only could it stop MS progression, but it could actually help repair damaged nerves and
restore some functions already lost for people living with MS. Being able to take this work forward offers us a unique way to address the root causes of the nerve damage we see in MS patients, and I’m excited by what this could mean for MS patients and others with neurodegenerative diseases. I’m thankful to CAMH, our partners, and the funding agencies for making this possible, and for their belief in the power of this research.”
— Dr. Iain Greig, Reader in Medicinal Chemistry, University of Aberdeen
“CAMH is proud to be leading this groundbreaking work alongside our partners and contributors. As a global leader in mental health and neuroscience research, we are deeply committed to advancing care through innovation. By supporting the commercialization of discoveries like this, we can accelerate the translation of research into real-world treatments and deliver new hope to people living with multiple sclerosis and other neurodegenerative diseases.”
— Dr. Aristotle Voineskos, CAMH Senior Vice President, Research and Science
“Brain Canada is proud to support bold, high-impact research that has the potential to change lives.”
— Dr. Viviane Poupon, Brain Canada President & CEO
“We are pleased to see research advance on a pathway toward stopping MS progression in its tracks and restoring function to people with progressive MS.”
— Dr. Walter Kostich, Associate Vice President, Translational Research, National MS Society
This project has been made possible by the Canada Brain Research Fund (CBRF), an innovative arrangement between the Government of Canada (through Health Canada) and Brain Canada, and Fast Forward. Past funding has also been provided by a CAMH Discovery Fund Accelerator grant, a CIHR POP II grant, an operating grant from the MS Society of Canada and funding from the National MS Society’s (USA) Fast Forward commercial research program.
About Brain Canada
Brain Canada is a national charitable organization that enables and supports excellent, innovative, and collaborative brain research in Canada. Through the Canada Brain Research Fund, a public-private partnership with the Government of Canada through Health Canada, Brain Canada funds initiatives that advance knowledge, drive innovation, and accelerate the development of diagnostics, treatments, and cures.
About the National Multiple Sclerosis Society
The National MS Society, founded in 1946, is the global leader of a growing movement dedicated to creating a world free of MS. The Society funds cutting-edge research for a cure, drives change through advocacy and provides programs and services to help people affected by MS live their best lives. Connect to learn more and get involved: nationalmssociety.org, Facebook, X (formerly known as Twitter), Instagram, YouTube or 1-800-344-4867.
New study shows integrated collaborative care helps youth access mental health and substance use supports faster
Youth living with mental health and substance use challenges can access services faster, and with less reliance on hospital-based psychiatric care, according to a study recently published in JAMA Network Open. The trial found that young people receiving this new kind of community-based care began services nearly three times sooner and required fewer psychiatric resources than those in hospital outpatient programs, providing strong support for integrated care and potentially demonstrating significant cost savings to the health system.
This approach is based on an integrated youth services (IYS) model, which brings together mental health, substance use, primary care, peer, family and social supports under one roof. In the study, the IYS model was delivered through an integrated collaborative care team (ICCT), which offered coordinated, community-based services designed with and for youth. The findings provide the first rigorous evidence supporting the effectiveness of both IYS models broadly and the Youth Wellness Hubs Ontario (YWHO) approach that was inspired by the study and has been scaled across the province. The study, known as the YouthCan IMPACT project, co-led by CAMH
Senior Scientists Drs. Jo Henderson and Peter Szatmari, is the first randomized clinical trial worldwide to compare an IYS model with traditional hospital outpatient adolescent psychiatry services.
CAMH Pilot Program Shows Promise in Preventing Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder Through School-Based Education
A new CAMH-led pilot program is helping young people understand the risks of alcohol use during pregnancy and how to prevent Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD). Supported by the Public Health Agency of Canada’s National Strategic Projects, the FASD Prevention School-Based Program was designed and evaluated by the Institute for Mental Health Policy Research (IMHPR) at CAMH, led Senior Scientist Dr. Lana Popova, with support from CAMH Indigenous-led centre Shkaabe Makwa and guidance from a steering committee of educators, community leaders, people with lived experience, and health professionals.
Buzz-Worthy News
Sports betting ads are putting youth at risk.
CAMH scientist Dr. Nigel Turner joined CBC to discuss the surge in sports betting ads in Canada and the potential consequences of these advertisements for young people as they grow older.
CIHR announced Integrated Youth Services-Net Phase II funding for projects across Canada, including Youth Wellness Hubs Ontario (YWHO), to strengthen research and data to ensure youth have access to evidence-based Mental Health services.
Dr. Jo Henderson, Chief Scientific Officer with YWHO & Integrated Youth Services welcomes this investment as a celebration of the power of collective action, putting youth first, and the visionary leadership of youth, families, and communities.
New meta-analysis from CAMH researcher Dr. Shannon Lange highlights the connection between alcohol consumption and suicide at the population level. Findings show that every 1-litre increase in alcohol consumption per capita is associated with a 3.6% rise in suicide mortality, with similar effects across sexes.
